Q: Hi Mike. Hope you can help me. Im 42, 6ft 1 and weight 90kg. I do weights 4 times a week and cardio 3 times a week, usually HIIT on running machine for 20 /25 mins. Im not bad shape but can't seem to lose the belly and love handles which are not really bad but they annoy me. Body fat is about 16.9 using calipers but I want this down. Problem is I dont want to lose muscle mass. I have been told that I need to eat 2400 cals a day over a 6 meal period, this will include protein drinks. I believe i need to take 1.2g of protein per 1lb body weight. I weight train at 8 at night after y dinner which is usually about 6.. Now im lost as to what my carb / fat intake should be and if the cals is correct. I am slim buid and dont want to look skawny. Hope you can help

A: Your program and diet sound good overall. You can safely go as low as 2000 calories if you feel 2400 is too much. As far as protein/carbs/fats breakdown, the easiest way for you is to use my Fitness Guide -- it'll give you a sample diet and an P/C/F breakdown at the bottom. You'll probably notice it's a little higher than 2400 calories but that's because it's quite high in protein. If you lower the protein to 1.0-1.2 grams per pound of bodyweight like you mentioned you should see the calories fall in the 2400 range. And if you want to go lower still, just scale all the portion sizes down to get down to 2000 calories or so, while keeping the relative P/C/F ratios the same.

Couple of other notes... Your body fat of 17% is actually quite good, especially for your age. I understand wanting to lose the extra fat, but the unfortunate fact is that the older you are and the better shape you are in to start with, the harder it is to keep making progress -- so it will not be easy to lose that extra fat. Also, after your evening workouts try to have at least a protein shake if not a complete meal. Good luck!